Archive for July 9th, 2007

Miami Redlands Traffic Improvements

July 9th, 2007 Categories: South Florida Living

At first glance this picture may not excite you. It excites me. I’ll tell you why.

This is a brand new traffic light at the corner of SW 200 Street and 137 Avenue. It was sorely needed! It was fully functional sometime in May. There was only one STOP sign there before. The traffic on 200th had the right of way. I felt bad for everyone on 137th avenue trying to join the crowd.

When I first moved to Miami, I lived a little north of the Redlands, where I live now. I used this particular intersection every single day to drive my kids to school and get to work.

I quickly discovered that if you didn’t have an extra 20 minutes to spare and had to stop at this intersection, you were going to be late! It was impossible to get onto 200th Street from 137th Avenue during rush hour. They say necessity is the mother of invention. Well, I needed to get where I was going on time and I invented a new route for myself. I had it down to a science. As I approached 200th street if I saw the cars were backed up I would turn before I got there and do a series of turns until I got to 200th street but at another avenue. This required that I go through a residential area. I wasn’t the only one doing it. I am sure those homeowners would have preferred the extra traffic stayed off their streets.

Where I used to make the turn onto 200th it got a little “hairy” sometimes to zoom onto the street. I even had a little cartoon car racing sound I made as I made the turn. The kids knew to be quiet when I did this. I needed to focus and make sure I zoomed out there at just the right moment. There was traffic going both ways on 200th and I did not want to become another accident statistic. Nobody should have to do this to get to work on time. I’m glad the powers that be realized this and did something about it. That turning lane wasn’t even there back then. It was one lane, one stop sign and every man (and woman) fending for himself!

It’s funny, I still use this intersection all the time but not from the avenue. So in essence the addition of the traffic light has slowed me down as I head east on 200th street. It’s still a good thing. I’m sure to the commuters trying to get onto the busy 200th street it is a very big and welcome deal.

Spoken by | Discussion: No Comments »

Miami Redland Lychee Love

July 9th, 2007 Categories: Local Resources, South Florida Living

The season is upon us again. I love this time of year in the Miami Redland. May, June and July always mean there’s lychees around somewhere in the Redlands.

For those of you who may not know what a lychee is, I’ll explain. Well, I’ll give you my take on it. I was only introduced to them 4 years ago. They quickly became my favorite fruit. The fact that I can only enjoy them a short time each year makes them even more precious.

Lychees (pronounced lee-chees by most, and lie-chees by others) are also called (incorrectly) lychee nuts sometimes. They’re not nuts at all and the seed is not edible. You can learn everything you ever wanted to know about lychees here.

Lychees are smaller than a ping pong ball and usually heart shaped. The skin is warty and leathery and breaks easily when you bite into it to get the fruit. The flesh of the fruit slides out easily and is reminiscent of a huge, luscious grape. Lychees are related to mamoncillos, or quenepas, if you know what those are. Lychees are native to China and I’m so glad they found their way over here. They are slightly acidic but sweet although not overly sweet.

I have 8 lychee trees in my yard but the hurricanes of 2 years ago have prevented us from getting much fruit. Last year we got none and this year only 2 of the trees produced, and very little at that. Lychee trees usually produce fruit only every other year but the hurricanes made our waiting time even longer.

A couple of weeks ago I was driving along 147th Avenue and gasped and pulled over. I gave my mother a terrible fright! She thought something was wrong, but no, something was RIGHT! There alongside the road was a farmer selling his lychees! At $5 a pound I only bought 2 pounds but would have bought more if I had had more cash on me. To demonstrate how popular lychees are around here I have to tell you that by the time I finished paying for my lychees, there were 6 other cars waiting to buy theirs. I asked him if he would be back the next day but he said he didn’t have that many to sell. I understood totally. They’re hard to find this year. That also explains the price. One can usually find them for $3/lb and at the end of the season even $2/lb.

I can’t wait for next June!

Spoken by | Discussion: No Comments »

Miami Dade Team Metro Coming To A Spot Near You!

July 9th, 2007 Categories: South Florida Living

Miami-Dade County’s Team Metro offers many useful services to our county residents.  Some of the services are:

• U.S. Passport acceptance
• Baby stroller parking permits
• Transit tokens, passes, parking permits, bike and ride permits
• Dog license tags
• Golden and Patriot Passports
• Homestead exemption applications ( January – March)
• Voter Registration forms 
• Hurricane preparedness information
• Library card applications

The closest Team Metro office to the Miami Redland is the South Dade Regional Office at 20505 South Dixie Highway, Suite 1623, Miami, FL 33189.  Their phone number is 305.234.1510  It is inside Southland Mall, which some of you may remember was called Cutler Ridge Mall previously.  They are open 8:00 – 5:00 Monday – Friday.  Passport applications may be turned in until 4:00pm only.  Call the Team Metro office directly for more information.

Did you know that Team Metro also makes neighborhood visits?  That’s right.  They have a Government on the Go Bus which makes rounds to certain neighborhoods so you can benefit from the services they provide and not have to go to their offices.  It’s one of the many ways that Team Metro is working for you!  To check the June schedule, click here.

Spoken by | Discussion: No Comments »

Miami-Dade Market Report $300K – $400K Range

July 9th, 2007 Categories: Cutler Bay, Kendall, Market Trends, Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, Southwest Dade

If anyone thinks the market is changing in Miami-Dade county I’d like to present this visual. It is changing, but not for the better, it seems, at least in this price point.

This graph represents homes for sale in Miami-Dade County vs. Homes Sold. I limited the data to homes in the 300K to 400k range. Notice the change in the figures for last month. The inventory of homes for sale went up while the number of homes sold that month went down in comparison to the month before.

These figures illustrate how important it is to price your home correctly. The inventory home sellers are competing with is increasing while the available buyers is decreasing.

If you need more information on pricing your home for sale, please contact me for a free, no-obligation market analysis of your home’s value. I am here to help you with your real estate needs.

Spoken by Chris Hotz | Discussion: No Comments »

Miami-Dade Home Buyers, Realtors Can Help!

July 9th, 2007 Categories: For Buyers, Real Estate Chatter

I snapped this picture of a brand new house in Homestead on one of my many rides through the areas that I specialize in.

They say a picture speaks a thousand words. What does this one tell you? This homeowner is no happy camper, that’s for sure! He might have fared better if he had used a professional. A buyer pays nothing to use the services of a Realtor® in most cases. And the benefits are many.

So leave the plywood and spray paint for hurricane season. Contact a Realtor® and get the service you deserve.

Spoken by Chris Hotz | Discussion: No Comments »

Country Club of Miami Free Family Golf Festival

July 9th, 2007 Categories: Entertainment, South Florida Living

What:  Family Golf Festival                                        

Where: Country Club of Miami, 6801 NW 186th Street, Miami, FL

When: Saturday, July 14, 2007 3:00pm – 7:00pm

Why:  Know nothing about the game of golf?  Come to this free festival for a free introduction!  There will be activities for the whole family: Golf lessons; Driving, chipping and putting challenges; food, music and dance; a fun zone for the kids; PGA Golf Pro Larry Levow will offer two free clinics at 3:30pm and 6:00pm.  And don’t miss Divot the Clown, famous trick-shot artist at 5:00pm.

The Country Club of Miami was founded in 1961 and offers 36 championship holes in the newly regrassed greens of the West and East Courses.  To learn more about the Club click here.

So come on out for a family fun day!

This information is brought to you compliments of Maggie Dokic, Realtor®, proudly serving serving the families of Miami, specifically the Redland, Homestead and SW Dade.  Need a caring and competent professional?  Give Maggie a call at 305.975.3842. 

Maggie Dokic, Broker Associate.  It doesn’t cost more to use a professional.

Spoken by | Discussion: No Comments »